We knew that sleep is a way to recharge ourselves.
We often ask ourselves. How long did we sleep? But we never ask this: How did I sleep last night?
Several studies reveal that your sleep position affects you. More specifically, your heart, brain, and even your health are affected by your sleeping position.
When we take our sleep, we prioritize our comfort, and duration comes after.
What I am about to say next might surprise you. Certain sleep positions can increase the risk of having a stroke.
So, here’s a big question for you to think deeply about. Could my favorite sleeping position help or hurt my heart and brain?
Let’s understand what science says about the essence of sleeping position on the condition of your brain and heart.
Why Sleep Position Matters
Think of your sleeping position as your daily schedule. You prefer everything in your day to be perfectly balanced. There’s a time to be busy and to have a relaxation moment.
It bears the same as your sleeping position. This is not just about your comfort, but how your body continually functions while you’re sleeping.
Knowing the correct sleeping position encourages enough breathing, normal blood flow, uninterrupted digestion, and maintains your spinal alignment as you rest.
When lying down, gravity plays a role in how your organs work. It also affects how the air moves through your lungs and how your blood flows through your body.
Lying on your back can cause your tongue to slide backward to your throat. It makes breathing harder while sleeping.
However, side sleeping keeps your airways open so you can breathe well. If you sleep on the left side, it makes the digestive process easier. Allowing the food to pass through your stomach and intestines smoothly.
We usually pick the side sleeping position that feels right or comfortable to us. Certain conditions, such as age or health conditions, play a role in what side position can be suitable for us.
Health conditions like back pain or acid reflux might affect how we sleep. If we try to understand how these sleeping positions affect us, it can help us make better, healthier rest.
What Science Says About Different Sleep Positions?
Different sleep researchers have analyzed how sleeping positions affect us. Studies cannot provide conclusive answers for this case. Each sleeping position has different effects on our heart and brain.
Here’s what you must learn about them:
Side Sleeping (Left vs. Right Position)
Side sleeping is one of the healthiest positions to consider.
Left-sided sleeping helps your heart and your digestive organs. This position helps normalize the blood circulation, prevents acid reflux, and supports digestion.
Sleeping on the left side helps pregnant women by increasing their blood flow to the fetus. It can also help people diagnosed with GERD.
Those with heart complications are advised to sleep on the right side. Sleeping on the left side can cause discomfort. They are unable to sleep on the left side as it puts more pressure on the heart.
However, sleeping on the right side hinders digestion and complicates the GERD condition. As this side is beneficial for heart and liver health.
Several studies have proven that sleeping on either side helps clean the parts of your brain. This is known as the glymphatic system.
The glymphatic system is your brain’s way of flushing out your brain’s waste. This process also combats certain issues in your brain that can lead to neurodivergent disease.
Purposely, this works when your brain is also comfortable as you sleep. It lowers the risk of having neurological disorders or having memory gaps in the future.
Stomach Sleeping
Few people are known to sleep on their stomachs. They see this as their most comfortable sleeping position.
Although it helps open their airways slightly. This position can cause neck and brain injuries or problems for you. This position leads to certain conditions, such as a stiff neck, making you uncomfortable throughout the day.
This sleeping position does not help your heart or brain health. Occasionally, this can make your breathing more difficult or even cause restless sleep.
When done over time, this sleeping position negatively affects your bone structure and blood pressure.
Back Sleeping (Supine Position)
Some prefer to sleep in a supine position because it’s relaxing. However, this sleeping position can cause breathing issues for you.
As you lie in bed, gravity pulls the tongue and soft tissues to your throat backwards. This can partially block your airway.
Back sleeping causes snoring or sleep apnea. A serious disorder where you breathe abnormally during sleep.
Back sleeping also lowers the oxygen levels in your blood. It forces your heart to work harder through the night.
If you often sleep on your back, it risks you to high blood pressure, heart disease, or even stroke.
The Sleep Apnea Connection
So, what exactly is this sleep apnea, and why is it dangerous?
As you sleep, there is a moment when your breathing becomes shallow. This is what you call sleep apnea. It is a condition that happens to someone that happens many times in a night.
Sleep apnea can happen in some people without them being aware. When sleep apnea happens to you because your body wakes up to restart breathing. It disrupts your rest and lowers oxygen in your blood.
Studies show that sleep apnea affects about 34% of men and 17% of women, often remaining undiagnosed.
It’s more common among people who are overweight, older, or have high blood pressure.
There’s a scary part that you should know about sleep apnea. It is how strongly it’s linked to heart and brain problems.
Low oxygen levels during sleep make the heart pump harder, raising the risk of irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and stroke.
People who regularly sleep on their backs are more likely to have worse apnea symptoms because gravity allows the airway to close more easily.
If you are known for snoring loudly, gasping for air during the night, or waking up feeling exhausted. It may be worth checking whether your sleeping position is part of the problem.
Tips to Improve Sleep Quality and Position
This is great news. You can train yourself to sleep in healthier positions and reduce your risk.
Here’s how you can do it:
Practice Side Sleeping
Slide sleeping is the best option for people with problems of snoring, sleep apnea, or acid reflux. To start, place a firm pillow behind your back to prevent sleeping in the supine position.
Choose Better Pillows
Choosing a better pillow keeps your airways open and your neck comfortable. Consider putting a pillow between your knees to ease hip and back pressure.
Elevate Your Head Slightly
Elevating your head slightly as you sleep improves your breathing. If you have enough budget, buy a bed that helps you slightly elevates your head when sleeping.
Sleep 7-9 Hours Consistently
Aim for at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Quality, consistent sleep strengthens your immune system, regulates hormones, and protects both your heart and brain.
Even small adjustments can make a big difference in how well you rest and how healthy your heart and mind remain over time.
When to Visit a Doctor?
Having trouble breathing while lying in bed flatly? How about waking up gasping, or sleeping better in a recliner?
If you experience feeling sleepy during the day after a full night’s rest, it can also be a sign of sleep apnea or another underlying heart condition.
It’s time to talk to your doctor.
The earlier you get help from your doctor, the easier it is to prevent further complications.
The Bottom Line
It is essential that you know a lot of things about better and healthier sleeping positions. As you sleep, comfort matters, but breathing and blood circulation matter the most.
The best sleeping position to consider for most people is the gives you the most restful, deeper sleep.
But for people with complications in their heart, who have signs of snoring, or are positive of sleep apnea, the safest and healthiest option for them is to side-sleep.
Good sleep recharges your body. But the best sleep must help your organs function properly. A sleep that protects your heart, refreshes your mind, and keeps your brain sharp for the day ahead.
So tonight, as you lie in bed, always remember this question. How you sleep in bed could be just as vital as how long you do.
Furthermore, listen to your doctor’s advice. Never trade your organs’ health just for sleeping comfortably.